Renai - Dragon of Nature
by sumerjoy11
Summary: You all know about the four famous Xiaolin monks, but what happens when another monk is added into the picture? This is the story of my Xiaolin OC, Renai. I hope you all enjoy. :)
1. The Letter

The untold story of the fifth dragon begins in the town of Labadie, Missouri.

A young teenage girl, the age of sixteen, was relaxing in her room. Her bright blue eyes scanned through a page of her book. She tucked a lock of her shoulder length, brunette hair behind her ear. As she continued reading, the young girl smiled to herself.

"For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo," she read softly as she closed her book, letting out a content sigh. "So romantic."

The sound of her door being kicked open caused the teenager to jolt. She groaned when she found her older brother standing in the doorway. "Landon, I told you to stop coming into my room like that! I could be naked or something!"

"But you're not," Landon replied cheekily. He smirked as he leaned against the frame of her door, crossing his arms. "Reading another one of your lame fantasy books, Renai?"

"It's Romeo and Juliet, and it's not lame," Renai replied with a pout. "It's very romantic."

" _Again_?! You've read that, like, a million times!"

"What do you want?" She said, quickly losing patience with her brother.

Landon pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and held it up in front of his sister. As she reached for the envelope, Landon hid it behind his back. "This came in the mail for you, but you gotta be nice and say 'please' if you wanna see what it is."

"Landon, just give it to me! It's _my_ mail!"

"Can I hear a please first?"

" _Please_ , may I have my mail?"

Landon smirked as he dropped the envelope into her lap. "That's more like it. Now, that came all the way from China. Something good has to be in there. Maybe someone sent you plane tickets to China so I won't have to see your face anymore."

"Gee, you're too kind," Renai replied sarcastically.

As Renai opened the envelope, she found that there were no tickets. Instead, there was a folded piece of paper. She was expecting to find Chinese lettering of some sort when unfolding the paper. However, much to her relief, every word on the paper was in English. It was written in legible, cursive writing.

"What's it say, Ren?" Landon inquired as he sat beside her.

 _Greetings, Renai_

 _You have been chosen to come to the Xiaolin Temple to learn the ways of Tai Chi, and to train with fellow Xiaolin monks. We hope to see your arrival._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Master Fung_

"What's Tai Chi?" Landon asked.

"I think it's an ancient form of fighting. Y'know, like Kung Fu."

"You gonna go?"

Renai scrunched her nose. "What kind of question is that? Of course not. It's probably a scam, anyway."

Landon scanned the letter and envelope. "No logos for any businesses, and the letter is handwritten. Doesn't look like a scam to me. Seems like someone out there agrees with me on the fact that you need some toughening up."

"I do not!" Renai exclaimed.

"Yeah, you do." Landon gently patted her back. "I can't always be there to protect you, Ren. Sitting in your room all day isn't gonna help you learn to defend yourself."

"I don't need to. What would I need Tai Chi for, anyway? I don't plan on fighting with anyone."

"Not even those prissy girls in school who knock over your books and call you names?"

Renai frowned, rolling her eyes. "Not even them." Her frown deepened as she hugged her knees against her chest. "It's not like I don't have _any_ friends. I have Amberlee and Giselle."

"True, but that's only two friends."

"Why do you care so much, Landon? You always tease me."

"Because it's my job to," Landon chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Both to care, and to tease."

The brunette turned away from her older brother. "I sure don't feel like you care sometimes."

Landon heaved a sigh, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "So sensitive." He scooted closer to her. "Look, I'm just trying to help you out. I wanna see you ...be happy for a change, I guess."

"I am happy," Renai replied. "I have a couple of friends who care about me like I care about them. I have a family that I love very much..."

"That you never get to see. Mom's always at work, and we barely get to visit Dad anymore. Plus, I'm always out with my friends," Landon pointed out. "There's nothing here for you, Ren, and you know it. Just go to Master Chung or whatever his name is."

"Why, so you don't have to see my face anymore?"

"That was just a joke, sis. I just think this'll be a good experience for you," he replied with a shrug. "It wouldn't hurt to try."

"I-I'll think about it, okay?" Renai bit her lip. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"Take all the time you need," Landon said as he lightly patted her shoulder. "It's not like they want you there tomorrow." He blinked. "Wait, did it say when they want you there?"

Renai shook her head. "No."

"Well, I'll leave you to think about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get up to level 50 in Goo Zombies," Landon said before ruffling her hair.

As her brother left the room, Renai sighed as she fixed her hair. She looked down at the letter that still sat in her lap. It had to be a scam. But, what if it wasn't? Even then, why choose _her_ of all people? She didn't know a thing about fighting. She didn't need violence to defend herself. Renai could just continue to ignore her bullies.

"No, I'm not going," she said as she pulled open her drawer. "My life is fine as it is. I don't need to go to China. I wanna stay here with my family, and continue with high school. Then, I'll go to college and become an author." She narrowed her eyes as she laid the letter in her drawer. "Whoever these nut jobs are that think I should be a monk must be out of their minds."

With that said, Renai pushed her drawer shut. The letter was left to sit inside with drafts of short stories Renai had written, and graded school essays.


	2. Renai's Encounter

Six months had passed since Renai had received the mysterious letter.

Renai continued to live her normal life with her mother and brother. She earned good grades in her classes, the highest being in her Reading and History classes. After school, Renai sometimes would stay after to do activities for her school's art club, such as creating banners for upcoming events or designing the cover of the school's newspaper. She would also often hang out with her two friends, Amberlee and Giselle. They would visit each other's' homes and either watch movies, play games, doodle, or just talk about their daily lives. Renai Robinson was living the life of a typical teenage girl, and she was very satisfied.

Another day of school had passed, and Renai was venturing home. The walk to school was about 10 minutes, so she didn't need to take the bus. As the girl traveled up the road, she gazed at her surroundings while pressing a couple books against her chest. To her right was the park, where she would sometimes go to have time to herself.

A soft smile graced her face as she thought of the park at spring time. The abundance of the color green, the blooming flowers, and the fluttering butterflies. Nothing beat the beauty of springtime, when everything would be reborn.

Renai closed her eyes as a gentle breeze blew through her hair. A few crisp, colored leaves flew past her as they descended from the trees above. Renai enjoyed autumn, since she was able to admire the vibrant colors of the leaves. She could do without the frigid temperature, though.

"Brrr!" Renai's teeth chattered as she tugged the zipper up on her coat. "I can't wait for Christmas, but I also can't wait for spring to..."

The girl stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted a group of three girls ahead by a stop sign. The fancy clothes, long curled hair, and excessive makeup were a dead giveaway as to who they were. The three girls that constantly tried to make Renai's life miserable. Her bullies.

The three girls were each juniors in high school, like Renai was. One had bright jade eyes, and long brunette hair. Her skin was slightly tanned, and she sported a green sweater with a green and black plaid skirt that was above her knees. She was pouting down at her phone, typing away. The next was the tallest in the group, who had blonde hair that nearly reached her bottom, Caucasian skin, and had shining blue eyes. She wore a white blouse with a pink skirt, and was examining her hot pink nails. The third had fair skin with ebony hair. She was the first to spot Renai, and narrowed her chestnut eyes at her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Book Worm," she sneered, placing her hands on her hips. "Crawling home, are we?"

Renai gulped. "Yes, so, if you'll excuse me, I'd like if you moved..."

"Are you telling us what to do, nerd?" The brunette bully said, narrowing her jade eyes.

"Let's teach her a lesson," the blonde said, smirking as she cracked her knuckles. "Looks like big brother isn't here to help you now."

"P-Please," Renai choked out as she slowly backed away. "I-I just wanna go home."

"By the time we're done with you, you'll be crawling home like the worm you are."

As the girls surrounded Renai, a loud boom caused all four teens to pause. They sharply turned to see smoke billowing up from their neighborhood.

"OMG! What just happened?!" The blonde shrieked.

"I think it was a bomb!" The ebony haired bully exclaimed.

"Let's get out of here!" The brunette bully shouted.

As the bullies fled, Renai's eyes widened in horror as she saw the smoke. In the distance, she could hear screams. Something was dreadfully wrong, and her family was there.

"M-Mom!" Renai choked out. "Landon!"

As fast as she could, Renai raced up the path toward her town. The girl didn't know what she would encounter, but she knew she had to get to her family. If anything happened to them...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Renai screamed as she skidded to a stop. Blocking her way was what appeared to be four floating robots. They each looked similar with their dark beige color. Each of them had a silver skull-like piece on the front of their metal chests. Their eyes glowed bright red as their claw-like hands outstretched.

Renai's heart raced as she searched for a way to escape. At the moment, she was surrounded. Then, she spotted a gap beneath the bots that she could jump through. Without hesitation, Renai rolled beneath the bots, then dashed toward her house. She knew the robots would be after her, but she had to take a chance at escaping from them.

As the frightened girl ran for her life, she heard a young boy's voice, shouting, "Jack Bots, don't let anyone escape! We gotta make these people talk! No one leaves until I get answers!"

Renai tried to find the source of the voice, but she had no notion as to where it was coming from. "W-What's going on here?!" She glanced around frantically as her fellow neighbors darted past her, examining their faces. "Mom! Landon! Where are you?!"

The girl managed to make it to the front door of her house. However, as she tried to open it, she found that it was locked. "No, no, no! Open up! Please!" She begged. Her eyes filled with tears as she frantically tried to open the door. "PLEASE!"

"Slowly turn," a droid-like voice said behind her.

Renai gulped as she slowly turned. To her horror, she found that was cornered by the four robots. There was nowhere to go. She knew at that moment she would either be captured or killed. Renai could only take in a deep breath and close her eyes, bracing for what was to come.

"Get away from her!"

Renai's brother yelled with rage as he leapt onto a robot, beating it with his fist. "Renai, run for it!"

"Landon!" Renai screamed. "Noooo! Leave him alone!" As she attempted to rush to her brother's side, a bot shoved Renai onto her bottom. "Ooof!" She grunted as she hit the ground.

"Renai!" Landon jumped from the robot's back, and ran toward his little sister. Before he could reach her, he screamed. A robot had slashed his back with its claws.

"LANDOOOON!" The girl screamed. Her eyes widened, tears spilling from them as she witnessed her brother fall face first into the ground. "NO!"

With Landon out of the way, the robots focused their attention back on Renai. They slowly hovered toward her, reaching out to her.

Renai scooted as far back from them as she could, but the front door prevented her from moving any further. "P-Please," she whimpered. "P-Please leave us alone!" As the bots continued to move toward her, Renai shrieked. "HELP ME! SOMEONE!"

Suddenly, the floor beneath her rumbled. Renai curled against her door as the ground shook violently. Then, to her utter shock, the ground below the robots rose up and smashed them to pieces. Did an earthquake just obliterate them?

The shaking was quick to cease, but Renai found that she herself was still shaking. She quivered with fear as she gaped at her surroundings. Her mother was nowhere in sight, but her brother laid still on the ground, not moving an inch. The people of her neighborhood hollered and screamed as they fled for their lives, robots chasing them from every corner. A few homes were ablaze, while others had minor damage. Her beloved neighborhood was in disarray, and she had no idea why.

"Are you okay, miss?"

Renai gasped as a tall figure appeared in front of her. She bit her lip as she frantically tried backing away from him. "P-Please, don't hurt me!"

"Hey, I ain't gonna hurt ya," he said softly as he knelt in front of her. "Me and my friends are here to help." The stranger examined Renai. "Are ya hurt?"

"I-I don't think so." The frightened girl sniffled. "B-But my brother is. Please, help him."

"Sure thing, but I gotta make sure you're okay first." The stranger stood, and extended his hand to her. "You're fine now, sweet pea. No one's gonna hurt you."

His words sounded soothing to Renai's ears. That, and the warm smile on his face were enough to make the girl believe that he truly wanted to help her. She shakily reached out, and was pulled onto her feet.

Renai's mouth dropped open as she witnessed his said friends fight off the remaining bots. She focused on the one female, who jumped into the air and...shot fire from her hands? That was the last thing Renai could remember before fainting in the arms of her savior.


	3. The Xiaolin Monks

"Hey, I think she's wakin' up."

"That poor girl. She must've been scared senseless."

"If I were in her place, I would have beaten those Jack-Bots with ease!"

"Give her some room! You might make her faint again!"

Renai's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurry, but she was able to make out four figures hovering over her. One of them looked to be a young boy whose skin was...yellow? He also appeared to be bald-headed. The figure next to him was a tall, tan boy with pointed, dark chocolate hair. Next to him was a shorter girl with ebony pigtails and pale skin. Finally, a much taller figure stood by the girl. A cowboy hat sat on his blonde hair.

When her vision became normal, Renai gasped and quickly sat up. She zipped her head around, and found that she was in her bedroom. "W-Who are you?!" Renai said as she moved away from the four strangers. "W-Where's my family?!"

"Whoa, whoa! Chill out!" The tan boy said as he gently took hold of her shoulders. "Don't pass out on us again." Once he saw that the frantic girl was calm, he pulled away and said, "Your family's fine. Your mom's with your brother. He got scratched up a bit, but he's fine."

"W-What happened?" Renai asked, tilting her head to the side. "Why were those robots attacking my town? W-Was...Was anyone killed?"

"This all happened because of a stupid boy that we have the displeasure of having to deal with 24/7," the pale girl said, rolling her eyes. "Why he was here is kinda hard to explain, so I guess I'll have to put it as simply as I can. Basically, he was looking for something, and it happened to be here. As for anyone being killed, Jack Spicer doesn't let his robots kill. He may be 'evil', but not as evil as he claims to be."

"Jack? Did he find what he was looking for?" Renai asked.

"Yes." The small boy frowned deeply. "But he wasn't supposed to find it. We were."

"But we were helpin' y'all out," the boy with the cowboy hat said. "Which was worth it. Savin' people is kinda our job."

"You..." Renai shakily pointed at him. "You're the one who saved me," she said, staring up at the boy in awe. "W-Who...Who are you?"

"The name's Clay Bailey, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat.

"I'm Kimiko!" The petite girl said with a friendly smile.

"Raimundo," the tall, tan boy said with a grin.

"And I am Omi!" The small boy said. "We are the Xiaolin monks!"

"W-What?" Renai scratched her head. "You're Xiaolin monks?"

"You know about Xiaolin monks?" Omi asked, tilting his head.

"Well, I learned in one of my classes that Xiaolin monks live in a temple in China, and learn how to fight by using Tai Chi," she replied. "Though, I never read about them dealing with flying robots."

Raimundo laughed. "Your teachers left out _a lot_ of info. We do more than just use Tai Chi. We spend each day keeping the world safe from people like Spicer."

Renai scrunched her nose in confusion. "So... You're super heroes?"

"Sure, you can say that." Raimundo smirked. "Especially about me," he said as he flexed his arms. He grunted as Kimiko's elbow went into his side.

While the others answered more of Renai's questions, Omi took notice to one of Renai's drawers being cracked open. Curiosity got the better of the little monk, and he peeked inside it. What caught his eye was an envelope that appeared to have familiar handwriting on it.

Peering behind, he saw that his friends were still occupied. Omi reached into the drawer, and opened the envelope to read the letter inside. His eyes widened when he realized who the letter was addressed to. "Renai?"

"Huh? H-Hey!" Renai shouted. "Don't go through my drawers!"

"Omi!" Kimiko exclaimed, glaring at him. "That's her private stuff!"

"Friends, Master Fung has told us that we were missing a monk." Omi held up the letter. "He sent this letter to her!" He then pointed to Renai. "And she's the missing monk!"

Renai shied away from the monks as they all turned to her. This caused the girl to bit her lip, and nervously pull her blanket closer. She wasn't too keen on being put in the spotlight.

"You're Renai?" Kimiko inquired. Her eyes widened when her question was answered with a nod. "But, why didn't you come to the temple?"

"I chose not to," Renai replied, her expression emotionless.

"You'd rather be stuck here than kick butt in China?" Raimundo said. "This place looks boring!"

"It also looks like a disaster zone thanks to Jasper, or whatever his name is!" Renai shouted. She frowned as she hugged her knees against her chest. "Please, understand. I don't like to fight. I've come across a lot of bullies in my life, but I would never think of harming them. I'd like to think problems can be solved without violence. I don't want to be a monk. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to leave my family behind. I love my town. I love my life the way it is." Her azure eyes glistened with tears. "Please, don't make me leave."

"Renai, no one is makin' you do anythin'," Clay said as he sat on the edge of the bed. "But at least hear what we gotta say. You were given that letter for a reason. You're special. You're meant to do good for the world. If you come with us, you'll learn how to protect your family so nothin' like what happened today will happen again. You do wanna protect your mama and brother, right?" The cowboy smiled as Renai nodded to his question.

"It's not all about hurting people," Kimiko added. "It's about protecting all that's good in the world. Your family falls under that. The only people you'll be hurting will be people who will want to hurt you and anyone you care about. You can't think that everyone in the world has good inside, because the people we deal with would rather see you dead than lend you a helping hand. They _will_ hurt you. They _will_ hurt anyone you're close to. If you choose to stay here, someone worse than Jack may come back, and actually do harm to your mom and brother."

"I-I don't want to leave them," Renai said, her lower lip quivering. "T-They're all I have."

"That won't be true if you come with us," Kimiko said as she used the tip of her sleeve to wipe away one of Renai's tears. "We're like a family. If you come to the Xiaolin temple, you'll be one of us."

"Y-You'll...be my friends?"

"More than that if you want," Raimundo said, wiggling his eyebrows. He yelped when he received a punch to the stomach by Kimiko.

"So, what do you say?" Kimiko asked as she turned her attention to Renai. "Do you wanna give being a Xiaolin monk a try?"

"I-If...If I don't like it, will I...get to go home?"

"Uh, I guess," Kimiko answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"W-Well..." Renai rubbed her arm. "I'll have to talk with my family about it, but...I think I'll give it a chance. I want to keep my family safe. After seeing my brother get hurt earlier, I don't want anything like that to happen again."

"Great!" Kimiko said, grinning from ear to ear. "We'll let you rest a bit and pack. Your mom is gonna make us supper, so we'll be right downstairs."

As the monks went to leave the room, the sound of Renai's voice made them stop in their tracks. "Wait! Can I speak to the cowboy alone?"

"Oh hohoho!" Raimundo laughed as he nudged Clay's side. "Alone, eh?"

"Rai, shut up," Clay said before shoving the Dragon of Wind aside. He could hear a yelp of pain, along with Kimiko's snickering as the door was slowly closed. Once he knew the others were gone, Clay sat on the edge of Renai's bed. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"I-I...I just wanted to...thank you," Renai said, tearing up. "I-I was so frightened. I-I didn't know what to do. If you didn't show up...I probably would be dead." She smiled slightly. "You really are a hero, Clay."

"Heh, I ain't that much of a hero," Clay replied, smiling bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. His freckled cheeks were rosy as he gazed at her. "I just do what I think is right." The cowboy noticed tears sliding down her cheeks. "Hey, don't cry," he said as he reached into his pocket. He handed the girl a handkerchief. "There's no need for tears, Renai."

"Everything that happened today was scary," Renai replied as she wiped her tears away with the handkerchief. "I was nearly beat up earlier, and I nearly lost my friends and family. Now you guys want me to go to China. It's a lot to take in," she said with a sniffle. "I-I'm nervous about leaving everything I love behind. I have always wanted to travel, but I didn't think I'd be traveling alone."

"You won't be alone. You'll have us," Clay said, smiling softly. "And we'll make sure you become the monk you're meant to be."

"You really think someone like me is meant to be a monk? I'm so...weak." Renai sighed as she hung her head. "I can't even defend myself against bullies in school. Landon always is the one protecting me. He should be going to China. Not me."

Clay gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "He wasn't the one who received the letter. You were. Ya may not believe in yourself, but we all believe in ya."

"But how?" Renai said, turning her body away from him. "You only just met me. You know nothing about me."

"I think the letter alone shows that you're special. Only three other people have gotten those letters. Those people bein' me, Rai, and Kim. We all have shown how special we are. Now it's your turn." He moved closer, once again resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're scared, and ya have every right to be. You don't know what you'll be up against. All I ask is that ya trust me when I say that you can't spend the rest of your life in some small town. You're meant for somethin' bigger than this, Renai, and I think you know that too."

Renai sighed heavily. "You really think I can do this?"

"You bet I do," the cowboy answered with a soft grin.

"Well, then I guess I have no choice." Renai slowly rose from her bed, and gazed out her window. She took a good look at her damaged neighborhood. Her eyes then wandered to the stars that twinkled in the dark of the night. "I'll have to follow my destiny."


	4. Renai's Departure

After Clay and Renai had concluded their conversation, Renai went off alone to speak with her mother and brother. They were at first confused over who these four young people were supposed to be, but they took Renai's word for it since these strangers did, after all, save their lives. Landon informed their mother of the letter Renai had received months beforehand, and Renai explained the monks' reasoning for her to join them. It was an arduous conversation, to say the least. Renai's mother wasn't handling the thought of her daughter leaving her so well.

"Mommy, you don't understand," Renai said. "If I don't go with these guys, who will protect our town from the next robot attack?"

"The police! The army! Renai, you are talking _nonsense_!" Her mother exclaimed. "You're still just a child! You can't go to China and just leave your life behind! You need to finish school! You have to go to college! You don't have the ability to fight like these children do! You don't belong with them! You belong here...with me!" Her frown deepened, and her eyes welled with tears. "I can't let my baby go. I just can't. Not yet."

"Mom, she's gotta leave the nest at some point," Landon pointed out as he sat up in bed, wincing from the pain in his back. "Besides, I've been trying to convince her to go, and these guys really think that Renai has some special potential, or something like that."

"They are _children_ , Landon. Besides, you'll be going off to college in the summer. Without Renai here, I'll be alone. I can't bear being without my children. Your father already left me. I'm not ready for you two to leave me too."

"You're being selfish, mom," Landon argued. "Think about what's best for Renai. What will she gain from being stuck in this small town? Nothing. She has no friends, and all she does is read and draw all day. She has a chance to do something with her life, and you're holding her back."

The mother sighed as she turned to her daughter. "Darling, I don't want to keep you from having a good life. I just...I can't let you go yet. You're still my baby. It kills me to think that when you go off to China, I won't be there to protect you. I won't be there to hold you when you're frightened, or wipe away your tears when you're sad. I want to always be with the both of you." She wiped away some stray tears. "This was all just so sudden."

"I understand, Mommy," Renai said as she took her mother's hands into her own. "To be honest, I'm nervous over leaving you, but Landon's right. I won't gain much life experience here. Maybe being a monk will really help me learn to defend myself. I want to protect the both of you."

"And I want you to be happy," her mother replied, tucking some of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Is this what you _really_ want?"

It took a moment for Renai to respond. She was tempted to say no, but she knew she couldn't turn back now. She was meant to fulfill some kind of destiny, and she couldn't let being homesick stop her from doing so.

"Yes."

"Well, my darling, I-I...I guess I will help you pack." The mother smiled sadly as she embraced her little girl.

"Thank you," Renai said as she tried to hold back her own tears.

"What's taking her so long?" Raimundo whined as he poked at his dinner. "It's been over an hour."

"Rai, we're askin' her to leave her family and everythin' she knows behind in one night. I think it may be a bit difficult for her," Clay said before poking his fork into a meatball. "And her family for that matter."

"She also has to pack," Kimiko added before sipping her tea. "We girls always are careful with what we pack."

Raimundo laughed. "Pfft, no way! You always pack your whole closet!"

"Oh yes! You girls always must pack your pretty dresses and pretty bows for your hair!" Omi said, joining in with Raimundo's laughter.

"I'LL GIVE YOU TWO SOMETHING TO LAUGH A-"

"I-I'm ready."

The four monks turned to the entrance of the kitchen, where Renai stood. She had a light pink backpack on her back, as well as a duffel bag and a suitcase sitting on each side of her. Her mother entered the kitchen to place the dinner she made in a container for her daughter to take. As for Landon, he stood by his sister's side with an arm wrapped around her shoulders for support.

"Finally!" Raimundo exclaimed. Once he realized that he was earning glares from his friends, he chuckled nervously and corrected himself by saying, "I-I mean... Great to hear!"

"We will have to find Dojo at once!" Omi said.

"D-Dojo?" Renai said, tilting her head. "Who's Dojo?"

"You'll find out," Raimundo chuckled.

"Thank you for the dinner, Mrs. Robinson," Kimiko said kindly. "It was really delicious."

"Oh, it was no problem, but please, call me Isabella." She smiled, tilting her head. "What did you say your name was, dear?"

"Kimiko."

Isabella smiled sheepishly. "Forgive me for asking, but are you of Japanese descent by any chance?"

Kimiko nodded. "I am."

"You have a beautiful culture, Kimiko," Renai's mother said. "In fact, it inspired the spelling of my daughter's name." She smiled at her daughter. "Her name is usually spelled R-E-N-E-E, but the Japanese spelling of it is R-E-N-A-I, which is what my ex-husband and I decided to have her name spelled as." Isabella clasped her hands. "I love Japanese culture, specifically its art."

"Wow. That's really cool to hear," Kimiko said, blushing slightly. "Y'know, if you want, I can get my Papa to buy you tickets to come to Tokyo. We can give you a tour."

The mother gasped. "That would be wonderful! You, Renai, and I traveling around Tokyo! I love the thought of it!"

"Speaking of Renai, I think she and her friends have to get going," Landon chuckled as he gave his sister's shoulder a slight squeeze.

"Oh. Yes, of course," his mother replied, her smile fading slightly. "I-It was wonderful to have you all here. Thank you so much for what you've done for our town. I...I hope you all visit again soon. With my daughter, of course."

"She'll be in good hands," Raimundo assured her. "Now c'mon, let's head outside."

The four monks, plus the Robinson family, stepped outside into the cool night air. The family was puzzled when the monks called out Dojo's name, and no one appeared. Who was this Dojo, anyway?

"There you kids are!"

The Robinsons' eyes widened at the sight of a snake-like creature slithering toward the monks. This night was just getting more and more bizarre.

"Where were you kids?" Dojo scanned the Robinsons. "Playing with your new friend? Having a sleepover? We gotta get home!" Dojo said, shivering. "It's freezing out here!"

"Dojo, this is the missing Xiaolin monk, Renai!" Omi said as he pointed up at the said girl.

The dragon gasped. "So _you're_ the missing monk! No wonder my senses have been tingling like crazy! Oh boy! We've been waiting a long time for you!" He grinned from ear to ear as he clapped his paws together. "My Master Fung will be so pleased to finally have you!"

"Heh, yeah. That's me," Renai said, rubbing her arm. Was this real? First, she meets four teens with elemental powers and fantastic fighting skills. Now, she was having a conversation with a dragon. This was enough to make her want to faint again.

"Whoa, you're awesome looking!" Landon exclaimed. "Can you breathe fire?"

"I sure can," Dojo replied, smirking. "And I can fly."

"Seriously?! Awesome! I wanna see!"

Dojo grinned as he slowly began growing into his larger form. Everyone backed away so he had more room. In a matter of seconds, Dojo grew from the size of a typical snake to the size of a skyscraper. This awed the Robinsons.

This also freaked out Renai. "I-I have to ride _that_?!" Renai's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "I-I could fall to my death!"

Clay laughed. "No ya won't. Dojo's a great flyer," he said as he patted the dragon's side. "Oh, I better take care of that luggage for ya." Clay took out a pair of chopsticks from his pocket. "Changin' Chopsticks!"

Renai's eyes grew wider as her luggage shrunk smaller and smaller. They soon became the size of playing dice. She was speechless, and could only watch as Clay shoved her luggage into his pocket.

The mother and brother were just as shocked. They were beginning to wonder just what exactly Renai was getting herself into, and who these four kids _really_ were. They also realized that it was about time to say goodbye to Renai.

"I-I...I guess this is goodbye," Landon said, rubbing his arm. "I dunno when we'll see ya, but I hope you can survive without us."

"I hope so too," Renai said as he embraced her older brother. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep any tears from falling. She had done enough crying already.

Landon sighed as he returned the embrace. He wasn't one to show emotions, but he was finding it difficult to hide them this time around. "Be careful, okay? Do whatever these guys tell you to do. Maybe you'll get to visit us more often than you think." Landon rubbed Renai's back slightly as he pulled away, sharing a sad smile with her.

Renai then approached her mother, who didn't attempt to hide what she was feeling. Seeing the tears in her mother's eyes caused Renai to tear up as well. The mother and daughter shared a tight embrace, and nearly clung onto each other.

The scene caused Dojo and Kimiko to tear up themselves. They were beginning to feel sorry for wanting to take Renai away from her family.

"Be safe, my darling," Isabella whispered as she stroked her daughter's hair. "And always think of me."

"I will," Renai answered quietly. "I-I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Isabella took a step back and cupped her daughter's face. Leaning in, she planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then wiped away some of her tears with her thumbs. "Before you leave, there is something I want to give you." Isabella reached behind her own neck, and removed the locket she was wearing.

"Mommy, that's yours," Renai said, shaking her head. "I can't take it."

"Please," her mother insisted, placing the necklace around her daughter's neck. "I want to be close to you at all times. I figured this locket will help you know that I'm always with you wherever you go."

Renai opened the heart shaped locket, and smiled upon seeing an image of her small family. Her mother looked so happy with her arms around Renai and Landon. Renai looked just as happy, and Landon was making a goofy face. A perfectly cheerful photo.

Before giving Renai the locket, her mother wore it every day. She always told Renai how whenever she was feeling blue, she would peek into the locket and feel better knowing she had two wonderful children. Now, Renai would be able to peek into it when she was down, and know that her mother and brother love her and will be close to her heart no matter what.

Clay held his hat in his hands, and wrung it as he took a step forward. Clearing his throat, he said, "I-I hate to ruin the moment, but we really gotta get goin'."

"O-Of course," Isabella said before giving her daughter one last hug. "Please, take care of her for me."

"I promise you I...we, will take care of her," Clay assured her.

As the five teenagers climbed aboard the dragon's back, Dojo said, "Everyone ready?" After the monks replied with a yes, the dragon then said, "Don't worry! She's in good hands! We'll have your kiddo fighting bad guys in no time!"

The dragon soared into the air, causing Renai to grip onto Clay from behind. She nearly screamed with how high they were up in the air. She glanced back at her family and town as they became smaller and smaller. When they were completely out of sight, Renai rested her forehead against Clay's back and hiccupped. Tears rained from her eyes down her freckled cheeks.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought," Dojo said, biting his lip as he heard Renai sob softly.

The monks nodded in agreement.


	5. Back Home

As soon as her daughter vanished into the night sky, Isabella wept into her hands.

"Aww, Mom," Landon said as he drew her into a hug. "She's gonna be fine. I promise."

"W-Why did I let her go?" She sobbed. "What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking the way a mother should think." Landon gritted his teeth as he was led into the house. "You thought of her over yourself."

Isabella frowned deeply as she assisted Landon upstairs. "Yes, but I let my daughter go with strangers that have a pet dragon, and magic powers. Something is fishy about all of this."

Landon slowly shook his head. "Mom, they're just kids. What could be wrong with them? Sure, they have some...weird powers and stuff, but they seem trustworthy. I saw that cowboy guy save Renai when she was cornered by those robots, and the Brazilian guy helped me into the house. If it weren't for them, none of us would be here right now. They saved us. I think Renai is in good hands."

"I feel like I failed you two by not being here to protect you," Isabella sighed as she laid Landon in his bed. "If only I wasn't working so much. I would've been here..."

"Mom, what could you have possibly done? None of us could beat those robots. I tried, but look at how that turned out," he said, gesturing at his bandaged back. "You patched me up, and you gave Ren a chance to become a better person." Landon smiled softly, resting a hand on his mother's shoulder. "You didn't fail us."

Isabella smiled softly in return, cupping her son's cheek. "You rest now, darling," she said before kissing his forehead.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I will be as long as I assure myself that my daughter is alright," she said before stepping out of Landon's bedroom.

Landon heaved a sigh as he stared up at his ceiling. It was such a long day, and so much had happened. He couldn't believe that his sister was going to be on the other side of the world. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Landon missed his little sister. Sure, he teased her frequently, but he meant no harm in it. Not like most of the girls in their area who didn't take the time to understand her, and would bully her because of it.

She was special. She was smart. She was unique. Landon knew she would be alright. Those four kids seemed nice, and they seemed determined to get Renai to learn their ways. They shared Landon's thoughts on her having to defend herself, and he admired that they would do whatever it takes to help her learn. But, knowing how sensitive she was, Landon couldn't help worrying over how she would take living with strangers in a foreign place.

"She'll be fine," he assured himself before closing his eyes.

As she closed the door to her bedroom, Isabella hiccupped. Her lower lip quivered as tears slid down her cheeks.

The mother went to her closet, and reached for the top shelf. She took down a thick, white book with pink lettering on the front. She sat on her bed, staring down at the book, which read, _Renai's Baby Album_.

Isabella opened the book, and her heart immediately swelled with a bittersweet feeling. The very first picture she laid eyes on was when she held Renai for the first time. How innocent she was. How peaceful she was. How secure she was in her mother's arms. Isabella yearned for those simpler days back. The days when she had a husband around to help her raise their children. The days when there was less trouble in the world. The days when her children were kept closely beside her.

She turned the page, and laughed at images of Renai's first birthday. Her chubby daughter sitting in a highchair with icing all over her face. Oh, and there was her father giving her her stuffed rabbit. Ah, who could forget her first steps? Or her first Disney movie?

On the final page, the very last picture was a Christmas photo. Isabella and her husband had wide smiles on their faces as they sat behind their children. Landon, just a tot, was gleefully holding up a toy robot he received. And little Renai, sweet little Renai, sat against her mother's stomach, clutching a Cinderella doll. She wore a little red dress with white lacing on it. A red bow sat behind her ear, and little red shoes were on her feet. Renai had the brightest smile of all in the photo.

More tears came from Isabella's eyes, and she could no longer bear to look at her precious photos. She closed the album, and placed it in a drawer on the counter by her bed.

"I have to be strong," she said to herself. "I've been strong since my husband left. I've been strong since having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I've been strong while raising two children alone. I have to be strong now, for my little girl."

Isabella switched off the lamp by her bed, and curled beneath her blanket. "I have to be strong. I have to. For her."


	6. The Xiaolin Temple

Dojo landed in front of the majestic Xiaolin temple. The monks hopped off the dragon's back, each stretching after their long journey. They noticed that Renai still sat on Dojo's back with her head hung. The monks turned to Dojo with blank expressions. They weren't sure what to say to her.

"You kids go. I'll have a chat with her," Dojo said, gently pushing them toward the temple entrance with his large, scaly paw.

Once he knew the monks were inside, the dragon turned back to the doleful young girl. "I know this is hard, kid. The others went through some homesickness for a while when they first showed up. Heck, I remember Clay spending the first few weeks sitting outside, strumming his guitar and singing about how he missed Texas."

The dragon gently placed one of his large fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head up. "It's okay to miss your family, but soon you'll have to realize that they won't be the only family you'll have. Those four kids may be strangers to you now, but in time, they'll become like family to you. They're your teammates. They have your back. They won't let anything happen to you."

"I-I appreciate the advice, Dojo." Renai sniffled as she used her sleeve to wipe away her tears. "But it's gonna take some time for me to accept it." The frown on her face deepened as she slid off his back. "This just happened all so suddenly. I can't accept this new life in one night. It's just not possible."

Dojo frowned sympathetically as he shrunk down to his normal size. "You're right about that, kiddo," he said as he slithered up to her, resting a paw on her leg. "It'll take a bit to adjust to. We'll try and make your stay here as comfortable as we can."

"Thank you," she replied with a small smile. The smile was quick to fade as the girl sauntered toward the temple. She wrapped her arms around herself in attempt to warm herself from the chill in the air.

Meanwhile, the Xiaolin monks had gathered in the meditation room. They felt the need to release their thoughts on the newcomer, since they could say nothing on the awkward flight back.

"I feel bad for her," Kimiko confessed to her friends. "I've never seen someone so sad. She must really miss her family."

"Maybe bringin' her wasn't such a bright idea," Clay said, rubbing the back of his neck. "She don't look like someone who would be eager to join us on the battlefield. Y'know what I'm sayin'?"

Raimundo sighed. "Maybe we should just have Dojo take her home. I don't see any potential in her."

"Now, hold on, partner. True, she doesn't seem like a fighter, but I still see potential in her. Maybe if we can't make her fight, maybe she can be a nurse. She can heal us whenever we're injured when fightin' the Heylin. Or maybe she can be an assistant to Master Fung, and organize the temple scrolls."

"Dude, that's stupid. We have Wu that can heal us, and that's Dojo's job. Face it. I don't think she has a shot at this. Tomorrow, we tell Dojo to take her home. We can't deal with her being depressed when we have more important issues to focus on."

"I most certainly agree," Omi said, nodding his head. "She may be our missing monk, but if she's not willing to assist us with our mission, then she is no monk in my eyes."

"You guys aren't being fair!" Kimiko shouted. "We haven't even gotten to know her yet! She willingly left her home to give us a chance! If she was able to do that, then we should return the favor and give _her_ a chance!"

Clay nodded. "The lil' lady has a point. I think we should give her a week to get used to the place, then after, show her the ropes. We already threw too much at her tonight. She deserves a bit of a break."

"I dunno," Raimundo replied, slowly shaking his head. "I feel like this may be a waste. She's cute and all, but do you really see her standing a chance against someone like Chase Young? She'd be beaten into a pulp!"

"We have to at least give her chance, Rai," Kimiko said to him softly. "Maybe we'll all be proven wrong, and maybe she really does have something special inside that even she doesn't know about."

"The only one that seems to know is Master Fung," Omi stated. "After all, he is the one who sent the letter."

Kimiko bit her lip. "Do you guys think one of us should check on her?"

"Maybe it would be best if we gave her her space," Clay suggested.

"I know, but..."

The cowboy chuckled. "Maybe you should check on her, then. That is, if it would make ya feel better."

The Dragon of Fire smiled. "Alright. I will."

"And this is your room," Dojo said as he led Renai through the sleeping quarters of the monks.

"This is it?" Renai asked as she peeked into her room. Well, if you could call it a room. All Renai saw was a mat, a thin blanket, a pillow, and a trunk. She could sense the lack of privacy, especially since the only thing dividing her room and Omi's room was a curtain.

"It ain't much kid. At least you have your own room. I pretty much sleep alone on a pillow."

"I-I'm sorry to hear that."

Dojo chuckled. "It's fine. Well, I'll leave ya to relax."

"T-Thank you. Goodnight Dojo."

"Sleep tight, kid."

Once Dojo slithered out of sight, Renai pulled the front curtain shut as she stepped into her new room. She knelt down on her mat, and began unpacking her items. Her clothes were already neatly folded, courtesy of her mother, so they were easy to place inside of her trunk. She had only packed a few pairs of shoes, which she placed on top of her folded clothes. The more personal items she had were kept in her duffel bag, which she simply placed beside her trunk. The only items she had not put away were her pajamas and a stuffed rabbit.

"I feel like none of this is real," Renai said to herself as she changed into her pajamas. "Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be back in my room in Missouri. Landon will come into my room and tease me like he always does, and Mommy will have a nice plate of pancakes waiting for me."

As Kimiko strolled up the hall, she took notice to a soft voice. She tiptoed toward it, as to not make any noise. Once she was in front of the last room in the hall, Kimiko leaned in to listen. She frowned as she listened to Renai say how she hoped she would wake up at home.

Renai smiled slightly as she lifted the stuffed rabbit. "At least I have you, Hoppy," she said before giving the doll a tight squeeze. "With you around, I don't feel as lonely."

Kimiko bit her lip as she continued listening.

"At least those kids I met seem nice. But that doesn't mean I can trust them. There has to be something more to them. I saw one of them shoot fire! What aren't they telling me? Why are they friends with a talking dragon? And who is this Master Fung I keep being told about?"

As she heard the last of Renai's words, Kimiko felt a sting. Not trust them? They saved her and her family's life! They convinced her to come here! They brought her into their home, and this is how she repays them?!

With a silent huff, Kimiko turned on her heels and went to her room. It was apparent that Renai didn't need any checking up on, especially if she didn't trust the very people who showed her nothing but kindness.

Renai sighed as she pulled the blanket over herself. She gazed around her room before taking Hoppy into her arms once more. She indeed felt very lonely, despite knowing these four teenagers were willing to help her get to know the temple she would be living in. They were still strangers, after all.

As Renai laid on her mat, she stared up at the ceiling. How could she sleep with so much on her mind? The thought of being in a strange place with strange people kept the freckle faced brunette wide awake. She was able to hear the mumbling of the three boys as they departed into their rooms. She could hear the shuffling of Omi crawling onto his mat from next door. Snickering came from a few rooms down, along with muffled music. Perhaps Raimundo was watching some videos on his phone. The sound of a booming snore was quick to enter Renai's ears, and she had a feeling it came from Clay's room.

Despite all the noise, and despite the many thoughts in her head, Renai was able to drift off to sleep at some point during the night. The newcomer was clueless as to what she had gotten herself into. But, she would soon learn the significance of these four teenagers and their mission. More importantly, she would learn the role she would play in what she would soon consider to be the most crucial task of her entire life.


	7. Tour of the Temple

The next day had arrived, and Renai found that she was not back in Missouri as she dreamt of during the night. Instead, she was laying on a flat mat in a Chinese temple.

The girl groaned as she slowly sat up and stretched. Her back ached, and she was freezing. The thin blanket she had wasn't enough to shield her from the cold. Her mat did little to comfort her, and as a result, she had a sore back.

As Renai continued to stretch, a voice from outside her curtain caused her to become a bit startled. She had nearly forgotten about the four teenagers that she encountered the day before. "W-Who's there?"

"It's Raimundo." Shortly after revealing his name, Raimundo peeked into Renai's room. "Ah, Sleeping Beauty's wide awake. You're lucky Master Fung's letting you sleep in. We usually wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning."

"R-Really?" Renai said, biting her lip. "Well, I wake up around that time for school anyway."

Raimundo chuckled. "I was sent here to fetch you. Breakfast is ready."

"What time is it?"

"About 10:30." Raimundo smiled as he extended his hand to her. "Here, let me help you up from there." As Renai reached out to him, Raimundo slowly took hold of her hand, and gently pulled her onto her feet. He then offered his arm to her, which she hesitantly took hold of. "So, how you likin' it here so far?" The Brazilian asked as he escorted her down the hall.

"I-It's alright, I guess. I haven't seen too much of the place yet."

"Well, once you're done breakfast, we can give you a tour of the place. Or, if you want, I can be your guide. We can maybe take some time to...get to know each other," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Renai bit her lip, and smiled coyly at him. He certainly was a flirt, and Renai wasn't used to this kind of treatment from a boy. Surely, he couldn't like her the way she would want to be liked by a boy. They had only just met. "That's sweet of you, Raimundo, but I'd like to get to know the others too."

"Alright, but just so you know ahead of time, I'm the coolest of the bunch."

"I'll keep that in mind," Renai said, discreetly rolling her eyes in amusement. This guy was already too much.

As the two strolled through the temple, Renai couldn't help gazing at her surroundings. She was intrigued by the ancient architect of the temple, and amazed by how four teenagers could adjust to living in such a primitive place. In her mind, she imagined Landon trying to live here without his video games or TV. She silently chuckled over the thought of her brother losing his sanity. However, the once happy thought turned into a somber one, as Renai remembered that he and her mother were back in the United States, which was thousands of miles away from her.

"Hey guys," Raimundo said as he led Renai into the dining room. "I brought Sleeping Beauty. A kiss from Prince Charming woke her."

"Did he _really_ kiss you?" Dojo asked Renai with a smirk. "'Cause if he did, and you didn't like it, I'll breathe fire on him for ya."

Renai answered by shaking her head, giggling at Dojo's threat. She smiled up at Raimundo as he pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down. Her seat was between Kimiko and Omi, while Raimundo and Clay sat across from them.

"How'd ya sleep, lil' lady?" Clay asked.

"I-I...I slept fine," Renai answered, looking down into her lap nervously.

"Nah, I think your snoring kept her up all night," Raimundo said, a laugh soon following.

"N-No it didn't," Renai said, smiling kindly at the cowboy across the table. "If anything, the cold from the night and the not so comfy mat were what kept me from sleeping perfectly."

The cowboy's freckled cheeks burned a bright shade of red as he chuckled slightly. "That'll take ya some time ta get used to. The mat part, I mean."

Renai giggled slightly before taking a sip of orange juice from her glass. "Thanks for making breakfast for me, uh, whoever made it."

"I made the orange juice," Kimiko said. She gestured across the table. "Clay made the rest. He's a better cook than any of us."

"Oh, well, thank you," Renai said, her smile widening at the cowboy.

"My pleasure."

The chatter in the room grew silent the moment a figure stood in the entrance of the dining room. The elderly man sported a dark grey mustache, and a small beard of the same color. His head was bare of any hair. A gold medallion hung from his neck. He wore a white, long sleeved gi shirt with black on the end of the sleeves, along with a black belt. A blue robe was worn over the white gi. The man wore black pants, and black shoes to match. His clear, blue eyes scanned the young monks, and rested on Renai.

"Good morning, Master Fung," the monks said at once.

"Good morning, my young students." Master Fung smiled down at Renai. "You must be Renai. We have waited quite some time for your arrival."

Renai quickly stood from her seat, and bowed before him. "Master Fung, it's an honor to meet you."

Master Fung chuckled. "You may sit." As he watched the girl take her seat, the master sat at the head of the table. "My students have told me you have been through a lot since yesterday."

"Y-Yes sir," Renai replied. "I have been through...a lot."

"Well, you are in good hands, Renai. You will rest for a week, but come the following week, you will join the others in their training."

"T-Training?" Renai bit her lip. "But, sir..."

"I know you are wary of becoming a monk, Renai, but I did not send you that letter for no reason. Just like the others, you too are meant to protect the world from darkness."

"But how? I've seen what they can do, and as far as I know, I can't conjure up fire from thin air." Renai hung her head. "I'm so weak."

"You harbor your own talents that will someday be revealed, Renai."

Renai sighed. "I don't understand, Master Fung."

"In a week, I will personally teach you the history of the Xiaolin, and I will tell you what you will need to know. But for now, my dear, you must relax."

"But, sir, when will I know why I'm here? No one's been telling me anything. How can you guys fight so well? How do you guys have powers? I wanna know!"

"You will know, in time. It will be a lot for you to take in, Renai. What we do here, and what we face day to day may come off as...fictional to you." Master Fung sipped his tea. "Which is why you will need time to get used to your surroundings before anything is revealed to you."

"I understand," Renai replied with a sigh. "I just don't wanna be kept in the dark."

"You will learn our ways in time, child," Master Fung said. "For starters, once you finish breakfast, your fellow monks will give you a tour of the temple."

"And some history lessons as well!" Omi chimed in.

Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Dude, we don't wanna bore her to death. Master Fung's the one that will make her suffer with all the boring stuff." The Dragon of Wind froze in his seat when he heard an "ahem". He smiled sheepishly at his master. "I-I mean all the _beneficial_ stuff will be left for you to teach her, Master."

Master Fung smirked. "Yes, indeed, Raimundo."

It wasn't long until Renai had finished her breakfast. She bid her master farewell before venturing to her room to change. When she arrived, Renai found something folded on top of her trunk. She discovered that it was the same looking red robe Kimiko was wearing. She also found similar white leggings, and black shoes. Once Renai changed into her new clothing, she joined the other monks, and was led outside to begin the tour.

Raimundo whistled. "Lookin' good, Renai!" He grinned, rubbing his hands together. "First, we'll show you where the _magic_ happens," he said, wiggling his fingers at Renai for emphasis.

"He means where we train," Clay clarified. "We got bunches of obstacles set up in order to test our strength, mobility, and thinkin' skills."

"They help _most_ of us, anyway," Raimundo followed. "Clay here is known as 'Old Man Kung Fu'. He's slower than turtle."

The cowboy grumbled, and his cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree. It was clear that Raimundo was showing off for Renai, but he didn't have to embarrass other people in the process. He wanted to make the newcomer feel welcome just as much as the others wanted to.

"I-It's alright to be slower than others," Renai said, rubbing her arm. "I'm not the fastest person either. I was usually the last to finish everything in gym class."

The redness on Clay's cheeks darkened, and a small smile came across his face. She seemed to be one of the few girls to not fall for Raimundo's charms. He was thankful that Renai wasn't taking Raimundo too seriously. Otherwise, she would just be adding more coal onto the ego flame that burned inside the Brazilian. Of course, everyone knew that no ego flame burned brighter than that of Omi's, but Raimundo's was close. Very close.

Upon arriving at the obstacle course, Renai gazed around in curiosity. So many challenges were set up in this courtyard. Some seemed like your average obstacle course that one would participate in a high school gym class. However, others appeared to be much more challenging, and possibly dangerous. Was she really going to train on such a treacherous obstacle course? She was a beginner. Surely, they wouldn't expose her to such dangers yet. Would they?

"Y-You guys really train here?" Renai inquired. "I-It doesn't look too safe."

"What we are up against is not safe," Omi stated, folding his arms into the sleeves of his gi. "Anything thrown at us here will be thrown at us in battle, or something much worse may come. We must prepare ourselves for any upcoming danger by any means necessary."

Renai gulped. "You're not expecting me to balance myself over a pit of spikes in a couple weeks, are you?"

Kimiko laughed. "Of course not! You're just a beginner. We'll take it step by step. I'm not gonna lie, though, it's gonna get more challenging as you go. You just have to trust us." The expression on her face became more serious as she crossed her arms. "You _can_ do that, right?"

The brunette had an aching suspicion that Kimiko had heard her talk to herself last night. From the tone of her voice, Kimiko sounded offended. Renai didn't intend to offend anyone. She felt any person would feel intimidated when being forced to live with strangers. How else was she supposed to feel? Sure, they seemed friendly, but one can never know for sure what their true intentions were. Renai knew she had to watch her back, and not give these people her full trust yet. She had to let her know that.

However, before a word could be said, Clay cleared his throat. "Uh, how 'bout we move on?" He sensed the tension between the girls, so he thought moving on with the tour would be best. "We're close to the garden. We can stop by there."

Renai's eyes sparkled with interest. "You have a garden?"

Back home, Renai always enjoyed sitting in the park. It was the closest she could get to nature. In the spring time, flowers would blossom in the grass. Children often picked them for their parents, or fuzzy bumblebees would land on the flowers for their sweet nectar. Renai loved seeing the flowers blossom, and now she would get to see them once more. It would be like having a piece of home with her.

However, upon arriving at the garden, Renai was disappointed when finding no flowers in sight. A large tree with surrounding bushes towered in the middle of the garden. The tree and bushes were surrounded by a rock bench, so people may sit by the tree. The rest of the garden consisted of nothing but grass and dirt.

"Where are the flowers?" Renai questioned in a somber tone. "What's a garden without flowers?"

"Well, it is October, Renai," Clay stated. "So naturally, the cool air will kill off any. Though, now that ya mention it, I don't recall seein' many flowers bloom here in the spring."

"Why would we need flowers?" Omi inquired. "Flowers are girly."

"Flowers are _beautiful_ ," Renai argued. "They provide food for animals. They bring beauty to the earth. They can even be used for medicine. Without flowers, some animals may die. They're very important, believe it or not."

Raimundo smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, well, well. Someone's the nature expert."

The freckled girl shrugged. "I've always loved nature. Sometimes, I can't help but feel like I'm connected to it somehow. It just really means a lot to me. I understand how important nature is to the world, and it's upsetting to see it constantly become polluted and taken for granted."

"Hmmm." Raimundo rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe when spring comes, we can all pitch in and make a flower garden. How's that sound?"

"T-That would be...wonderful." Renai slowly grinned at the Brazilian. "I would love that very much. Thank you, Raimundo."

"Are you two gonna make out, or are we gonna continue this tour?" Kimiko said, impatiently tapping her foot against the ground.

"Aww, no need to be jealous, Kimi." Raimundo chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "You're still my favorite monk."

The Dragon of Fire's pale face in no time glowed bright red. "I'm _not_ jealous," she muttered, narrowing her eyes at the Brazilian. She slapped his hand away, and stomped ahead of the group.

Renai watched the girl nervously, and rubbed her arm. "Did I do something wrong? She doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Kim has a tendency to have random hissy fits," Clay stated, gently patting Renai's shoulder. "You ain't done no wrong."

She watched as Raimundo and Omi also ventured behind Kimiko, leaving her and Clay trailing behind. "Well, she did seem a little upset when she brought up if I could trust you guys. I was sort of thinking aloud last night, and said that, well, I'm not sure if I could trust any of you yet." The girl held up her hands in defense. "I-I really don't mean any offense. It's just that I don't know you all yet."

Clay nodded in understanding. "That's perfectly understandable. You were swooped away from your home, and are livin' with a bunch of strangers. Of course we're not expectin' ya to be chummy with us yet or anythin'. That's why we're givin' ya a week to get used to the place."

"I'm glad someone gets it." Renai bit her lip, hanging her head as she walked by his side. "I still really miss my family. They're the one thing that's on my mind."

"We all think of our families at times." Clay shoved his hands into his pockets, and smiled up at a chirping blue bird in the sky. "I sometimes think of my ranch back in Texas. All the critters that wander 'round the barn, 'specially the pigs. I love our pigs. I think of the scorchin' heat, and how I wouldn't trade it for any other weather. I think of my parents, and..."

The cowboy bit his lip, stopping himself from finishing. "Well, I think of a lotta things. It ain't strange to think of home from time to time, but ya shouldn't be saddened by it. Instead, it should keep ya goin'. Not only am I tryin' to keep darkness outta the world, but I'm tryin' to keep my family back home safe. I'm not sad anymore that I'm not with 'em. I'm happy knowin' that they'll be safe so long as I'm doin' my job. Ya get what I'm sayin'?"

The girl responded by nodding. She stared at him for a moment, trying to read his expression. There was a hint sadness in his eyes. Maybe deep down, he really did miss Texas as much as she missed Missouri. Or, there was something more. He stopped himself from finishing his sentence just before. Maybe there was something back home he didn't want to think about, yet still crept into his mind. Something tragic. Something heartbreaking. Renai was curious to know what it was, but she thought it would be best not to pry. It was his business, and his alone.

"I really appreciate the advice, Clay," she said, turning her attention to the path ahead. "Of all the monks, you've been the kindest to me so far. I mean, you saved my life." A small smile crept across her lips. "You've made me feel a little more welcome. I just wish I could repay you somehow."

"You don't need to do nothin' like that," the cowboy replied, glancing down at her. "The fact that you're already startin' to adjust to life here is good enough for me."

Renai pouted. "I always wanna repay those who are nice to me. It's why I like Christmas so much. I love giving. I wanna give something to you. Please?"

"Hmm..." A mischevious smile came across his face. "I think I do have a lil' somethin' in mind."

"Y-Yes?"

"You a good cook?"

Renai shrugged. "It depends. I'm good with some things, yet terrible with other stuff. I kinda had to learn to cook so I had food for myself while my mom was at work."

"Well, the others can't cook for nothin'. Kimiko usually burns anythin' she touches, even without usin' her powers. Omi may think he knows what he's doin', but he always messes up somehow. As for Rai, well, he's just lazy." Clay smiled, rubbing his stomach. "I was hopin' to make one of my Mama's recipes that she just sent me the other day. But since ya brought up repayin' me, how 'bout you try makin' it instead? See if ya get close to how my Mama makes it. It shouldn't be too hard."

The cowboy extended his hand. "We got a deal?"

"W-When am I doing this?" Renai asked, staring at his hand warily. "And what am I cooking?"

"You pick whenever ya want. I'm a patient guy." Clay's grin widened. "And it's a surprise."

A small grin formed across her lips. It wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, he saved her life. It was the least she could do. She slowly reached out, and took hold of his hand. "Deal."

"Well, alrighty then," the cowboy said softly, gently shaking her hand. "I got full confidence in ya."

Renai's smile widened as they continued shaking hands. "We better catch up with the others," she said as she let go.

"Oh, right," the cowboy chuckled. He grinned as he began jogging ahead of her. "Race ya!"

"H-Hey! Wait for me!" Renai laughed as she raced after him.


	8. A Monk's Worth

Far beyond the peaceful valley the Xiaolin temple resided in was a treacherous land. A land that was full of dread and unhappiness. There was no green, which meant no life. The land was dark, and dry. All of its trees were rotted. The mountains were sharp and rocky. This land had a name, and it was The Land of Nowhere.

Surely, an unhappy place such as this had to have been ruled by an unhappy person. And it was. Deep within the mountains laid a secret lair. The entrance had the appearance of a demon with its mouth wide and fangs sharp. While the outside looked primitive, the inside was anything but. The inside was like a whole new world, with its waterfalls, trees, pavilions, and jungle cats roaming about.

Sitting proudly upon a throne was the ruler of this land, Chase Young. The Heylin prince wore beige battle armor. He had pale skin, and long, black hair to match his blackened heart. A green streak ran through one of his bangs. His hazel eyes squinted into a crystal ball.

There, in the ball, the image of a young, freckle faced girl appeared. Along with the girl were the four young monks Chase Young had grown to hate so much.

"So, this is the newest addition to the Xiaolin bunch?"

Chase Young rubbed his chin as he watched the girl interact with Clay. Their laughter caused the Heylin master to wrinkle his nose. "Hmmph. She doesn't appear to be the fighting type, does she?" Chase asked one of his precious cats.

As he stroked a lion's head, it purred. "She may not be the fighting type, but she still could be valuable. The other monks possess the typical four elements, but this one may possess a rare one." Chase Young examined the girl closely. "Such a rare gem is worth adding to my collection." He chuckled softly. "My attempts to woo Omi have yet to be successful, but with this newcomer, she may be putty in my hands."

Slowly rising from his throne, Chase Young tapped his fingers together as he thought to himself. "Hmm, but she has yet to know her potential. Her abilities have not yet been revealed. I don't even know if she will possess a rare element. She could just be a duplicate and share the same element with another monk."

Chase sighed. "I guess all I can do is wait. Don't worry, my pets. I am a patient man." He stroked beneath a tiger's chin. "Once she learns who she truly is, I will make my move. But for now, we wait."


	9. Trust

The tour of the temple continued, none of the monks realizing that they were being watched by the Heylin prince.

"This is the scroll room!" Omi said enthusiastically as he led the others into the small room. The room consisted of a desk with a chair. The desk was surrounded by shelves that stored what appeared to be thousands of old, dusty scrolls. "This is where documents of the Xiaolin are kept. Scrolls that date back to the time of Dashi are stored within these very shelves. So much history..."

"Dashi? Who's Dashi?" Renai questioned.

"You'll learn more about him soon," Raimundo replied. "But as the lil' dude said, anything you need to know about the Xiaolin is in this room. You just gotta be careful when handling these scrolls. Some may turn to dust the moment you touch them."

Renai bit her lip. "I guess I'll try to be careful, then."

"You'll probably be spending a whole day in here when Master Fung wants to teach you Xiaolin history." Raimundo chuckled at the mortified expression on Renai's face. "It _will_ suck. Trust me."

Despite being nervous about her upcoming history lesson with Master Fung, Renai actually enjoyed learning history. It just depended on whether the teacher was enthusiastic about the subject or not. A boring teacher means a boring class. Also, the subject itself had to be appealing. Renai was certainly eager to learn more about the Xiaolin, aside from their fighting techniques. She just hoped that anything other than the fighting portion would be interesting to learn about.

"I think this pretty much wraps up the tour," Raimundo said, stretching his arms above his head. "We covered just about everything."

"Wait, there was one room we didn't go into." Renai peeked out into the hall, pointing to the left. "There was big room with a cauldron in the middle down that way."

"You'll be seeing that one another time," Omi said. "That is the most important room of the whole temple."

"What's so important about it?"

"You'll find out," Raimundo answered.

Renai sighed, brushing some hair out of her face. "Yes, of course. I'll find out eventually. More stuff bein' kept from me."

"We know ya wanna know everythin' at once, but it's better that ya wait. Trust me," Clay said to the impatient girl.

Before Renai could respond, Kimiko cut her off by saying, "I wouldn't be so sure on her trusting you, Clay. She can't trust the rest of us."

The frown on Renai's face deepened. She was beginning to have enough of Kimiko being offensive over this. "W-What's your problem with me?" She shakily asked. "I didn't do anything wrong."

Kimiko opened her mouth to state her side of the argument, but was gently pushed back by Clay.

"Whoa, now, girls," Clay said as he stepped between them, staring down in Kimiko's direction. "Now Kim, I can see why you're gettin' all offensive over her not trustin' us, but ya gotta keep in mind what she's goin' through." Clay laid a hand on the small of Renai's back. "We're expectin' her to live with a bunch of strangers. She ain't used to our way of life yet. You were once in her shoes. You should know how she's feelin'."

Kimiko crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. "I get it. I'm wrong, you're right. You're the smart one, I'm the stupid one."

"Kim, that's not what..." The cowboy sighed as the Dragon of Fire stormed off. "I dunno what's gotten into her."

"Maybe it's her...y'know..." Raimundo smiled sheepishly. "Time of the month?"

Renai huffed, crossing her arms. "That _always_ seems to be the boys' reasoning for a girl being mad. We can mad when we're not going through that, y'know."

"Rai, Omi, could you guys give us a minute?" Clay asked as he loosened the collar of his top. He cleared his throat, gesturing with his head for them to leave.

"Eh, I was gonna hit the hay anyway," Raimundo replied with a shrug before exiting the room.

"And I must see if Dojo has finished washing my clothes!" Omi said before toddling down the hall. "A Xiaolin monk must always look their best!"

Renai sank into the chair and sighed, resting her head in her hands. "I've been causin' nothing but trouble for everyone here."

"Hey, don't go sayin' that," Clay said as he stooped to her level, holding onto the chair for support. "Kim's just not herself, for some reason."

"You didn't have to speak up for me like that. I could've handled it."

"The look on your face said you couldn't. You were angry. None of what ya would've said would've made things better."

Renai crossed her arms as she turned away from him. "All anyone does is stand up for me, but I wanna stand up for _myself_. I'm sick of being the victim."

"Gettin' into a heated argument with Kim is almost like a death sentence. If she's angered enough, she may use her flames. One has to tread lightly with her." Clay shrugged. "I may have just saved your life again by steppin' between you two."

"I just wanna be the brave one for a change." Renai frowned deeply at the floor. "I was bullied a lot back home by these three girls. Landon always had to save me from them. I didn't have the guts to stand up for myself."

Clay frowned sympathetically. "What could you possibly get bullied for? Yer the sweetest girl I've met."

Renai's freckled cheeks glowed a light shade of pink. "F-For being different."

"Ah, I see. You were the misfit, huh?" Clay chuckled slightly. "We're all kind of misfits here, so I think it's safe ta say you fit right in with us." He sighed. "I just wish I could figure out what's wrong with Kim. She's worryin' me."

"You sound like you really care about her." Renai swung her legs back and forth. "Is she an easy person to get along with?"

"Heck yeah," Clay answered. "She was awful chatty the first day she came here. Well, on her phone. She was quick to open up to us, though. That's why I'm worried 'bout her. She's usually real friendly with people." The cowboy took notice to the oncoming frown on Renai's face. "It's nothin' you've done. She just has to let off some steam, that's all. I'm sure she'll be better soon."

"I hope so." Renai sighed. "I don't wanna cause anymore problems."

"You ain't caused problems for nobody." The cowboy rose to his feet, and stretched. A loud yawn escaped him, then he popped his back. "Well, it's nearly time for bed. Mind if I escort ya to your room?"

Renai shrugged. As she and Clay made their way out of the scroll room, she said, "I don't think I'm sleepy yet. I really need a shower."

"Oh yeah." Clay scratched his head as he led Renai down the hall. "I don't think you've showered since ya got here."

"Yeah. It's not a pleasant feeling. I feel icky."

Clay laughed. "Well, a shower will do ya some good, then." The cowboy smiled and tipped his hat to Renai upon reaching her room. "Well, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow. Hope you enjoy your shower."

"Thank you, Clay. I hope you have a nice sleep," Renai replied, clasping her hands behind her back.

After bidding each other goodnight, they went their separate ways. Renai entered her room, and gathered her pajamas. She searched her belongings for a towel, and grabbed her soap, razor, shampoo, and conditioner. Once she had everything she needed, Renai stepped out of her room.

"Ooof!"

Renai had bumped into someone. Her eyes widened to find Kimiko standing before her. Scanning the objects in Kimiko's arms, Renai saw that the girl before her had the same intention of heading to the bath house.

"H-Hey," Kimiko said, biting her lip. "You going for a shower too? Mind if I join you?"

Renai answered with a shrug, biting her lower lip.

"Good." As the girls walked off together, Kimiko said, "Look, I'm sorry for being a little hot headed."

"I just don't get why you're so offensive over me not trustin' you guys," Renai replied. "I don't know any of you yet. It's only natural."

"I know." Kimiko bit her lower lip. "I was just expecting you to be a little more social, and to become friends with us right away. I guess I didn't keep in mind that not everyone is as social as me."

Renai's eyes widened with realization. "Wait, were you upset because you thought I wouldn't want to be friends with you?"

"It's a little more than just that." Kimiko sighed. "I've spent a good year or so here being the only girl. I love Rai, Omi, and Clay to pieces, but it's not the same as being with other girls. I'm often left out of stuff they do because, well, they're boys. They like different stuff from what I like. It sucks sometimes when I'm all alone. I was thrilled to know that we'd have another girl here that I can finally talk to. I guess I just thought we'd click right away. I was expecting too much in just a short amount of time."

"O-Oh..." Renai's expression softened. "Y'know, I didn't have many friends back in Missouri. No one really understood me. The other girls wanted to party. I wanted to read books. I was too different. I only had two friends to my name, Amberlee and Giselle."

A small smile came across her lips. "I had so much fun with those two. We all were in Art Club together, and we all enjoyed drawin'. We'd go to each other's houses and make sketches of our crushes, or funny doodles of people we didn't like."

Renai sighed. "The other girls kinda just looked down on me, and mocked me and my friends behind our backs. I haven't met someone who wanted to be my friend so badly. With Amberlee and Giselle, we just happened to meet, and started a friendship right from the get-go." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I may not trust you all completely yet, but...I would like to be friends."

Kimiko's sapphire eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really," she replied with a small smile. "So, wanna start over?" Renai chuckled. "Hi, I'm Renai Robinson. I'm from Missouri, and I like to read."

Kimiko laughed. "Kon'nichiwa! I'm Kimiko Tohomiko. I'm from Tokyo, and I love shopping."

The girls laughed as they made their way into the bath house. What started off as an awkward conversation soon turned into one filled with joy and laughter. Renai thought that perhaps she would make a good friend in Kimiko. She couldn't trust her completely yet, but she was off to a good start. The same could be said about Clay. He had shown her much kindness since she first arrived, and was grateful for everything he had done for her thus far.

Renai's feelings of doubt were slowly diminishing. Perhaps she really could trust the Xiaolin monks. Perhaps she really would adjust to life without her mother and brother. All she needed was time.


End file.
